Ruth Ben-Ghiat

“With a steady gaze and an eye for the telling detail, Ruth Ben-Ghiat delivers a timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster — and some valuable hints about how it can be resisted, and the virtues we will need to rebuild democracy.” — Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

”Ben-Ghiat's portrayal of fascist-era tyrants, murderous Cold War dictators, and would-be tyrants in our own day gives us a gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption. History, she shows, offers clear lessons not only about how these regimes are built, but also how they must be opposed, and how they end.” — Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die

”Simultaneously intimate and sweeping in scope, Strongmenbrings us in close to dictators and would-be dictators across decades and continents. We are left with a disturbing look in the mirror. Throughout, Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s clear prose rings with a rhythm and cadence that today’s nonfiction too often lacks.” — Sarah Chayes, author of On Corruption in America and Thieves of State

”Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an indispensable resource on authoritarianism, past and present. Everyone who cares about American democracy should read this book.” — Sarah Kendzior, author of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America